Maine Telemarketing and Cold Calling Laws
In Maine, live sales calls follow the federal 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window, the National Do Not Call Registry applies, and recording a call needs one party’s consent.
Maine rules next to federal law
| Rule | Maine | Federal baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Calling hours | Solicitation calls made with an automated telephone calling device (auto-dialing with recorded messages) are allowed only on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Maine time. Maine sets no hours for live-agent calls.10 M.R.S. § 1498(3) | Telephone solicitations only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the called person’s local time.47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(1) |
| Call frequency | An automated calling device may complete no more than one solicitation call to the same number in any 8-hour period, and must disconnect within 5 seconds after the called party hangs up.10 M.R.S. § 1498(3) | No general federal equivalent |
| State do-not-call list | Maine uses the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry as its state registry; calling a Maine residential subscriber whose number has been listed for at least 3 months is a violation, with Attorney General penalties up to $10,000 for a first violation and $25,000 for each later one. Since 2024 solicitors must also check the FCC Reassigned Numbers Database before a telephone sales call.10 M.R.S. § 1499-B(4), (6), (11) | No telephone solicitations to residential or wireless numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, subject to the rule’s exemptions such as an established business relationship.47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(2) |
| Autodialer and consent | Automated calling devices or artificial or prerecorded voices may not be used for solicitation calls to any Maine residential number, cell or paging phone, unlisted or toll-free number, or emergency line unless an exception applies, such as the recipient's prior written express consent or a response to the recipient's own inquiry. Permitted automated calls must give the organization's name, address, and phone number within the first minute, and the caller must keep a transcript of each message for 24 months.10 M.R.S. § 1498(2), (4), (6), (7-A) | Autodialed or prerecorded telemarketing calls to wireless numbers need the called person’s prior express written consent.47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(a)(2) |
| Caller ID | Sellers and telemarketers, including by text message, may not cause misleading or inaccurate caller ID with intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain value; showing the seller's name and customer-service number is allowed. A telephone solicitor must immediately give their real first and last name and the business they are calling for.10 M.R.S. §§ 1499-A, 1499-B(7) | Telemarketers must transmit caller ID with a number that can be called back during business hours.47 C.F.R. § 64.1601(e) |
| Telemarketer registration | Anyone selling merchandise to Maine buyers by telephone or in person without a permanent place of business in Maine must be licensed as a transient seller by the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, along with its employees, and post a security deposit or bond of up to $10,000. Transient sellers who telemarket must also follow the FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule as in effect on Jan. 1, 2000.32 M.R.S. §§ 14701(8), 14702, 14703, 14708, 14716 | No general federal equivalent |
| Call recording consent | A party to a call, or a person given prior authority by the sender or receiver, may record it.15 M.R.S. §§ 709(4), 710 | Federal law allows recording when one party to the call consents.18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d) |
| Business-to-business calls | Maine's do-not-call statute protects only Maine residential telephone subscribers buying consumer goods or services, so calls to business lines are outside it. The automated-call limits apply to any telephone number in Maine, including business and cell numbers (with an exception for calls to a business about reservations, purchases, hours, or merchandise), and the transient-seller license covers sales to any buyer other than for resale.10 M.R.S. §§ 1499-B(1), 1498(3), 1498(6)(F); 32 M.R.S. § 14701(1) | No general federal equivalent |
Recent changes
- 2024: PL 2023, c. 570 (LD 2234, signed March 25, 2024) requires telephone solicitors to check the FCC Reassigned Numbers Database before a telephone sales call and adds routine use of it to the safe harbor.
- 2025: PL 2025, c. 575 added community-solar (net energy billing) shares and solar energy equipment to 'merchandise' under the transient-seller and home-solicitation sales laws.
Calling Maine from a sales team
- Schedule call blocks in the prospect’s local time, not the rep’s.
- Check numbers against the National Do Not Call Registry before each campaign, and honor opt-outs right away.
- If a call may cross into an all-party state, announce the recording anyway.
Trellus dials from the CRM list your reps already work, with each call logged back to the record. See the power and parallel dialer.
Maine calling questions
What are the legal calling hours in Maine?
Solicitation calls made with an automated telephone calling device (auto-dialing with recorded messages) are allowed only on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Maine time. Maine sets no hours for live-agent calls. (10 M.R.S. § 1498(3)). Federal law also limits telephone solicitations to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time.
Does Maine have its own do-not-call list?
Maine uses the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry as its state registry; calling a Maine residential subscriber whose number has been listed for at least 3 months is a violation, with Attorney General penalties up to $10,000 for a first violation and $25,000 for each later one. Since 2024 solicitors must also check the FCC Reassigned Numbers Database before a telephone sales call. (10 M.R.S. § 1499-B(4), (6), (11))
Is Maine a one-party or all-party consent state for recording calls?
A party to a call, or a person given prior authority by the sender or receiver, may record it. (15 M.R.S. §§ 709(4), 710)
Do Maine telemarketing rules apply to business-to-business calls?
Maine's do-not-call statute protects only Maine residential telephone subscribers buying consumer goods or services, so calls to business lines are outside it. The automated-call limits apply to any telephone number in Maine, including business and cell numbers (with an exception for calls to a business about reservations, purchases, hours, or merchandise), and the transient-seller license covers sales to any buyer other than for resale. (10 M.R.S. §§ 1499-B(1), 1498(3), 1498(6)(F); 32 M.R.S. § 14701(1))
Do telemarketers need to register in Maine?
Anyone selling merchandise to Maine buyers by telephone or in person without a permanent place of business in Maine must be licensed as a transient seller by the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, along with its employees, and post a security deposit or bond of up to $10,000. Transient sellers who telemarket must also follow the FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule as in effect on Jan. 1, 2000. (32 M.R.S. §§ 14701(8), 14702, 14703, 14708, 14716)
This page summarizes Maine and federal rules for general information. It is not legal advice, rules change, and exemptions depend on the facts of your calls. Read the cited sources or ask counsel before relying on it.